Combined extensible or adjustable and foldable stepladder



xgowssow. COMBINED EXTENSIBLE OR ADJUSTABLE AND FOLDABLE STEPLADDER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8. 1919.

1,342,542. Patented June 8, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET lfdfoflss oif UNITED STATES oNAs JONSSON, or LEONARDVILLE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-THIRD T0 mane; MILLER AND ONE-THIRD 1 0 JOHN A. JOHNSON, BOTH or LEONARDVIL'LE, KA sAs.

COMBINED EX'I ENSIBLE OR ADJUSTABLE AND FOLDABLE STEPLADDER.

tensible or adjustable and foldable stepladder, and an object of the invention is the provision of a device of this kind, which may be constructed of various heights and of any suitable material, and wherein the parts are foldable and extensible, whereby the device may be'folded so as to form a short, either two or three-foot ladder, or the parts arranged to form a ladder of greater height, preferably twice the height of the short ladder, though not necessarily. Another object of the invention is the provision of an extensible or foldable ladder, which when folded to be used asa three-foot ladder, may be used as an excellent scaffold for paperhangers walking board, in other words a support for the walking board. I

As a further object of the invention, it is the aim to construct a step-ladder in any length, and to provide a step-ladder which is durable in every respect, either when used as a household article or when used by decorators, paperhangersand others. I

A still further object of the invention is to provide a step-ladder which is li ht, and which is convertible from a threeoot lad der to a six foot ladder and when extended as a six-foot ladder means such as an automatic slide is employed including a link brace between the opposite portions of the ladder, to insure rigidity when in use.

While the design and construction at present illustrated and set forth is deemed preferable it is obvious that as a result of a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the invention may be susceptible to changes, and the right to these changes is claimed, provided they are comprehended within 'the scope of what is claimed.

The invention comprises furtherfeatures and combination of parts, as will be herein- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1920.

Application filed October 8, 1919. Serial No. 329,208.

after s'et forth, shown in the drawings'and cla1me d. I a

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view showing the ladder M folded in compact'form. v

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the ladder opened, and supported by two parts of the ladder.- i ig. 3 is a side view of the ladder open,

whereby opposite portions. of the ladder may constitute two legs, and whereby a part of another portion constitutes a' third leg interposed between the first two legs.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the ladder extended and opened and being sub- 1 .stantially twice the height of the ladder shown in Figs. 2. and 3. 0 Referring more especially to the draw; lngs, 1 designates the dominant ladder section and 2 denotes the ladder supporting section. The ladder section comprisestwo parts 3 and 4, the part 3constitutes the 7 upper portion of the" ladder when extended, and the part 4 constitutes the baseorlower portion. These parts 3 and 4 comprise the- IT.

side rails 5 and 6, and connecting these side rails are the ladder steps 7 and 8. These steps are dove-tailed into the side rails as shown at 9. However, the rearparts of the steps are extended beyond thejside rails,-a'nd secured to the ends of the rear edges of the steps are the brace rails 10 and 11, thereby reinforcing the steps, as well as reinforcing the parts of the dominant ladder section.

The adjacent ends of the brace rails 10 and section of the step-ladder is hingedly con-h nected to the brace piece. Thisbrace sec-1 tion of the step-ladder comprises two parts 16 and 17 hingedly united at 18. The upper part 16 of the brace section comprises the side rails'19, which-are relatively reinforced by the braces 20., An additional nearest the dominant ladder section.

I brace 21 connects the two side rails 19 of the upper part of the brace section, and

1 piece 25 as at 28, and is in turn hingedly connected at 29 to the uppermost step of the lower part of the dominant ladder section,

so as to reinforce the dominant ladder'section'an'd brace. section relatively to each other, when the ladder is'extended and the sections open. In order to guide the transversely disposed sliding piece 25, it is provided with a pair of arms 26, which are disposed in parallelism and are arranged intermediate the side rails 22 of the lower'part of the brace section. These arms 26 I are adapted to slide between the braces 20 and 24, and. when theslide is moved upwardly to its fullest extenathe upperends ofthe arms (which are beveled as" shown at 30) cam'against the inclined" rear faces of the brace 21, and since the upper portion of the rear face of the. transverse brace 21 protrudesrearwardly of the side rails, the arms of the slide are rigidly reinforced, when they are in their upper positions. Angle p eces 31 constructed of any suitable materlal, preferably metal, though not necessarily, are secured to the brace 24 and the sidera'i'ls 22 of the lower part of the brace section, and between these angle members or plates and the brace 24 the arms 26 are gu ded, hence insuring proper guiding of the arms, as well as additionally reinforcing the slide, and also reinforcing the upper and lower parts of the brace section, particularly at their hinged connections, when the upper and lower parts of the brace section are opened or extended.

Secured to the link brace is an abutment 32, which is engaged by the transverse brace 24, when the lower part of the brace section is collapsed against the lower part of} the I dominant ladder section, thereby holding the lower part of the brace sectionin engagement with the lower part of the dominant laddersection. To further assist in holding these parts together when the ladder is opened and used as. a stool lstep-laddenia turnbutton 33 is disposed in engagement with one ofthe rails of the lower part of the brace section. Itwill be noted that when the dominant ladder and brace sections gagesan eye 35 on one of the side rails of the lower part of theladder section, thereby holding the two parts together. 4 However,

When so folded a hook 34linked to one of .the side rails of the upper 'part of the dominant; ladder section detachably enwhenthe; upper part o'f-the dominant ladder a section is extended to-for'ma ladder of con-' siderableheight, this hookengagesfan eye 36, thereby holding the upper and lower parts rigid. An elongated loop 37 is linked as at 38' tothe edgeof one of the brace rails,

10 of the dominant ladder section. A wire guide loop 39 is secured to the edge of'one of 'the brace rails 11 of the lower part of the dominant laddersection, with which the loop 37 engages. This wire guide loop is curved as shown and the curved part constitutes a cam, and is provided with a drop or offset portion 40, with which the end of the loop 39 engages, whenthe upper and lower parts of both sections of the ladder are partially folded so that the device may be used as a stool ladder, thereby reinforcing the upper and lower parts of the ladder.

7 It will be noted that the interengaging loops of the two parts of the dominant ladder and brace sections do not interfere with the extensie bility of'the upper part of the dominant ladder section, when it is desired to -extend the device to form a ladder of considerable height. -When' the parts ofthe two sections of the ladder are arranged to form a short ladder, such as shown in Fig.3, the lower part of the brace section of the ladder may be disposed intermediate the upper and lower parts of the ladder sections, thereby providing a three-foot ladder. In this case the device may be used as'an excellent scaffold for a wall or ceiling decorator or used as a scaffold for a paper-hangers? walking board. In order to dispose the lower part ofthe brace section, to form the third leg of the ladder, the brace 24 is disengaged fromthe abutment,in which case the lower part of the braceisection may be disposed intermediate the two parts of the laddersections Secured 'onthe rear face of the side rails 22 of the lower part ofthe brace section are stops or-abutments 41,'which are engaged by the transverse slide '25, to limit theslide in lts'upward' movement, when the dominant ladder and brace sections are separated and when the device is used as a six-foot ladder.

The slide and its link which connects between q pp porti ns 9f the ad er be 1. In a foldable and'extensible ladder, the

combination'with dominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, feach of said sec tions comprising-hingedly united upper and lower parts, the hinged connections between said parts being axially alinedwhen the brace section is collapsed against the dominant laddersection, whereby the upper and lower parts of both sections may be hingedly separated to form a short ladder, a link-brace connected to one of the parts of the dominant v ladder section and having a sliding connection. with the lower part of the brace section, to hold the brace section inclined in a bracing position from the dominant ladder section, when the ladder is extended and opened, said link brace having means to en gage amember of the brace section, to hold the lower part of the brace section collapsed against the lower part of the dominant ladder section, when the ladder is used as a stool ladder.

2. In a ladder, the combination with dominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, whereby one may be opened and inclined at an acute angle from the other section, a link brace hingedly connected to the dominant ladder section, a slide carried by the brace section to which the link brace is connected for reinforcing the two sections,

the brace section comprising upper and lower hinged parts, said slide having means slidably cooperatively engaging between portions of the two parts of the brace section and positioned across the hinged con nections of the two parts to reinforce the parts of the brace section when the ladder is extended. a

3. In a ladder, the combination with dominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, whereby one may be opened and inclined at an acute angle from the other seedominant ladder section, a slide carried by the brace section to which the link brace is connected for reinforcing the two sections,

the brace section comprising upper and lower hinged parts, said slide having means slidably cooperatively engaging. between portions of the two parts of the brace section and positioned across the hinged connections of the two parts to reinforce the parts of the brace section when the ladder is extended, and means carried by one of the parts of the brace section to limit the movement of said slide.

a. In a ladder, the combination with dominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, whereby the two sections may be in clined from each other and capable of collapsing toward eachother, a link brace car- 7 ried by "the 'dominant ladder-section and having-a slidableconnection with the brace section, the dominant ladder and brace sections comprising upper and lower parts, hingedly-united substantially midway the height jof the extensible ladder, said hinged connections being correspondingly located midway the-height of the ladder, whereby the hingesare axially arranged when-the brace section is collapsed against the dominant ladder "section, whereby the parts [of both sections" may fold toward each other,

to form a short ladder, means carried by the upper and lower'parts of the dominantladder section for bracing the upper and lower parts of both sections, when said upper and lower parts are partially folded, after having disposed the brace section adjacent the dominant ladder section.

5. In a ladder, the combination with dominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, whereby the two sections may incline from each other and capable of collapsing towardeach other, alink brace car'- ried by the dominant ladder section and having a slidable connection with the brace I i height of the extensible ladder, said hinged connections being correspondingly located section, the dominant ladder and brace sec-p .tions rcomprlsmg upper and lower parts,

g ly united substantially midway the,

nant ladder section, whereby the parts of;

both sections may fold toward each other,

to form a short ladder, means carried by the V upper and lower parts of the dominantladder section for bracing theupper and lower parts of both sections, when saidupper'and lower parts are partially folded, after hav-.

ing disposed the brace section adjacent the dominant ladder section, the lower part of the'brace section being adapted to be dis- V posed between the upperpart of the brace tlon, a link brace hingedly connected to the section and the lower part of the dominant used as a three-foot ladden 6.In a ladder, the combination withdominant ladder and brace sections hingedly united, whereby the two sections may in-' I clined toward each other an'dcapable of collapsing' toward each other, a link brace carried by the dominant ladder section and hav- Y ing a slidable connection with the brace-secis collapsed against the dominant ladder section, whereby the' pa' rtsv of both sections may fold toward eachother, to form a short ladder,jmeans carried by thequp'per and lower parts of the dominant l addersection for bracing. the; upper andlowerfparts of both's ections, When said upper} and, lower v ,and the lower part of the dominant ladder section,;wherebythe device may be used as a three-foot ladder; and I an abutment car ried by, the link brace; to V engage a; member of the lower art of thebrace section; :to" a's sist in holding the lower part ofthe brace section collapsedagainst the lower part of the dominant ladder section,rwhen the de-j vice is used as a short stepfladdenfand means to further assist inholding the lower part part of the dominant ladder section.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my I JONAS JoNs'son.

signature.

of the brace section in contact with the lower 

